An Ode to Pepperoni Pizza Combos

I remember the day I discovered you
Spying you from afar
I was on my way to Chicago
My mom yelling "Get in the car"

I can't believe I didn't know you
Until the age of 25
But since my first bite of you
I've never felt more alive

Chips be damned and Fritos
You are dead to me
I have never been so happy
As with a bag of Combos at my knee

Despite my will of iron
I eat you way too quick
I'd never be without you
If I had that option to pick

I can't buy you in Chicago
You're very hard to find
But please be assured, my Combos
You're never far from my mind

Some Super Tuesday Cuteness

Awesome picture of Sugar thanks to this guy

Frailty thy name is Woman

No, don't let the title fool you...I haven't had a husband die only to replace him with his brother while my son sees visions and slowly goes crazy...silly people.

No, my inability to commit comes in several ways: failure to commit to blogging often, failure to commit to more than one date with any one given person (ahh, the stories), and failure to commit to changing this behavior. I joke around all the time with my family & friends about this fear of commitment like it's a fun little quirk of habit. My concern of late is that this is less a quirk and more of a consistent personality trait: no relationship more than a few months, living in a city no longer than a year, changing jobs after one year, constantly changing my hair, re-arranging furniture every few months, etc., etc. Now, David Beckham has these same obsessive behaviors - including having to vacuum the rug in exact straight lines - but as I'm not being paid millions a year to play soccer and take my shirt off for advertising, I have this niggling thought that we're really both not in the same boat.

Having come to the conclusion that no one will pay me to keep on having commitment problems, I've come up with a series of goals that I may or may not commit to:)

1) Living in Chicago minimum of two years: Only one year and six months to go - deep breath in and out, phewwwww...
2) Leaving my furniture alone until my birthday: Only three more months...three more months
3) Not messing with my hair until it grows at least 14 inches: This may not work - I'm cheap and that's a lot of shampoo...buuuttt...less haircuts...hmm...
4) Not handing my business card out to cute strangers: Done and done...note to self - no longer carry business cards

That said, I am firmly committed to several things that I can pride myself on:
1) Sugar - my cute, cuddly, chubby cat has my lifelong commitment - how could I not?
2) Supporting various causes - I feel strongly about donating to many organizations that are working for a better world including the WWF and CARE
3) Speaking French - I attend class twice a week and move up a level every five weeks - I've now been doing that since September and can't imagine not going
4) Movie trivia - Please, everyone has a hobby
5) Working in the arts - bringing you music, one dollar at a time
6) Friends and family - because really, your life is better with me in it...hahahahaha...just kidding:)

Now before you think I'm pulling a Britney Spears and committing my self to a psych ward, I'm actually just reflecting on a series of events in the past few weeks. I'm getting better at committing, though - I mean after all, I've been a member of Netflix since 2004.

...

January 30 day goal update: I SUCCESSFULLY purchased 0 DVDs in the month of January. To celebrate, I bought the 1st season of The Tudors on February 1st - WITH a coupon. Booyah. But I've learned something - I don't have to always give in to the need to buy, buy, buy. Stronger, baby, stronger:)

February 30 day goal: Write a card or letter to someone everyday - friend or family. I happen to still love snail mail and I hope to share that with others. I've got my Chinese New Year/Cary Grant stamps ready to go - Bon chance a moi!!

Everything I learned, I learned from...???

This past week has been a bit of challenge, but I would like to try and take the high road and recall those times that were a "learning opportunity" - in the form of a multiple question test

1) You argue with someone how much better your bus route is than theirs and then without fail the next few days it:
a) is so full that you have to wait for 3 buses to pass in order to get on after waiting an hour
b) never shows up when you have a 7:30am meeting
c) breaks down right before you get on Lakeshore Drive.
d) All of the above

2) You return from Christmas vacation ready to start eating healthier and cooking more to save money, you find out that:
a) the friendly neighborhood grocery store is going out of business the last week of January
b) the friendly neighborhood grocery store closes early due to lack of product and hold New Orleans style funeral to mark the closing
c) the replacement friendly neighborhood grocery store won't open until the end of February, leaving a gap of approximately 5 weeks
d) All of the above

3) You have a conversation with your friend about how great it is that the Chicago winter hasn't been that bad and you haven't even gotten sick lately! A week later:
a) Suddenly it's 2 degrees outside, but it "feels" like -15
b) The new knob on your steam heater doesn't turn so you can't turn your heat on in the living room
c) You get a wicked cold so that you can't breathe and everyone at work gives you those "pitying" looks like leprosy is next
d) All of the above

Bonus Question (Please show your work)

You're crossing the bridge over the river at 9:30pm and have to wait for the light to cross. At the same time your bus turns the corner going the other way to your bus stop. It's snowing out with icy sidewalks, you're talking on your phone, a taxi is waiting to peal out in front of you, and Jupiter is in line with Venus. How fast do you have to run to be in the nick of time to just miss your bus? Bonus points if you calculate the weight, velocity, and annoyance of carrying three bags while wearing heels.

DVD update: Good news! I even entered a Borders and entered the electronics section and wasn't tempted! Much...okay, there were some tears...and gnashing of the teeth...and wearing of the sackcloth.

Anti-Fashionista

I love my sister - don't get me wrong. But sometimes being related to the Goodwill fashionista is hard. She blogs about fashion, reads Vogue cover to cover, used to work at an upscale boutique part-time, and can walk into a store and name the brand of clothing without looking at the tag - all while promoting the value of a bargain. The girl has skills.

That said, we agree on some things:
1) White socks and black shoes are not acceptable
2) Tommy Hilfilger has a "me" complex
3) Too tight clothing looks good on no one

But, I am not a fashionista, not by any shape or form of the word. I personally think I dress well, if not a little funky. And I can bargain shop with the best of them - my high school Homecoming dresses never costed more than $10, and I have a $5 Oscar de la Renta blazer in my closet (thanks Goodwill!). I'll look at Vogue if someone throws it at me and I check out Go Fug Yourself like everybody else.

So why, you ask, is it so difficult to be related to the fashionista? Well, my friends, we do have our differences. To me, wearing sweatpants out in public to multiple venues is perfectly acceptable. I rarely wear all black (no little black dress for this girl), and more often than not it looks like Rainbow Bright exploded in the washer when I'm doing my laundry. I wear tye-died shirts and in my free time often wear multiple layers of clothing that doesn't necessarily match. And you couldn't pry my bright green Crocs from my cold dead hands.

That said, I will confess, in a nod to my fashionista sista, that I do have my brand name weaknesses that my soft heart can't say no to:

1) J brand jeans: I own the wide-leg style that premiered last year. Amazing jeans that are incredibly soft, wash well, and make my derriere look amazing - done and done.

2) Kenneth Cole...anything: Timeless style, boots you can wear for hours, dress coats that keep you warm in the Arctic/Chicago, and classic cuts that makes everyone look good!

3) BCBG dresses: Some of their stuff isn't really up my alley, but my chocolate brown jersey full-length formal dress is a testament to BCBG's ability to create a product that can withstand opening galas, public transportation, and the Kennedy Center Honors

Despite my weakness of the above brands, I continue to like clothing that was popular a few years ago (legwarmers), questionable patterns (polka dots with plaid), and styles that have yet to make it to America and be accepted (dresses over pants). I disdain skirts, am horrified of hose, and will run screaming from the designer section of Nordstom. Or fall asleep in one of the chairs while my sis is shopping...either one, really.

So where does that leave me? Probably in my Target fake Uggs with my sister weeping for me in the background.

Choo-choo

According to my mom, I'm not posting often enough...so here goes.

So, for many of you the reason behind the name of my blog is obvious...for others, perhaps not. I am named after a train. The MKT line that used to run through Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (get it? MKT?) was nicknamed the "Katy." The line no longer exists - it is now part of the Union Pacific.

Now, you might be asking yourself - who names their daughter after a train? Well, if your Dad's a train nut - things like that happen. I however, happen to love the story behind my name, so in honor of my Dad, today I'm going to feature some of his stories. He recently wrote up a summary of his experience both of working on the railroad for a couple of summers, and also his hobby of repairing toy trains, as stories for my young cousins, as my aunt is preserving some family history - great idea, eh? So, below, is an excerpt from what my Dad wrote...enjoy:

"For as long as I can remember I have loved trains – the big trains that we see running down the tracks and the small trains (electric trains) that I received for Christmas and which eventually grew into an avocation. I don’t know why I love trains. Maybe it was because my older brothers before me liked them. Maybe because the first small layout we had on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood was the first real toy I remember seeing. Even though I’m now 56 years old I really can’t get the enough of them...

...At some point when I was in high school I decided I had to work on a real railroad. I just had to find out what it was all about. The chance came between my senior year in high school and my freshman year in college. A couple friends of mine and I went over to Huntington, Indiana and applied for jobs on the track maintenance gang for the Norfolk and Western railroad.

All three of us were hired so we officially became gandy dancers – the railroad slang for track workers. We spent the summer tamping ballast under ties to level the track, replacing old ties and rails, cutting weeds and brush and replacing road crossings. I learned how to spike a rail to a tie using a spike mall. Not an easy thing to learn based on the number of mall handles I broke.

It was a long summer and a lot of hard work. I decided next summer I wanted to work on the trains instead of under them. So, following my freshman year I went over to Peru, Indiana, a division point on the Norfolk and Western and was hired as a brakeman. Up until 1964, this railroad line had been the Wabash railroad, the route of the Cannonball, one of the most famous passenger trains in the US. They were used to running the trains fast and were still doing that when I worked there...

...Sometimes there was danger, something my mother constantly reminded me of. If a person was the second brakeman (or sixth man) on a crew going west that brakeman would get off in Tilton, Illinois. The state of Illinois did not have a full crew law and since the crew’s pay was based on mileage the sixth man got off at Tilton yard instead of going to Decatur so the railroad didn’t have to pay them as much.

I had to do this a number of times. Once I got off the train I would call a taxi which would take me to the Wolford hotel in nearby Danville, Illinois. I could be there an hour or half a day depending on when a train going east needed a second brakeman. Getting back on the train is where the danger came in. If the train didn’t have to set off any cars at Tilton the second brakeman was required to board the train on the “fly” which meant you boarded the train while it was moving. The engineer was supposed to slow the train down to 15 mph or less which someone figured out what the safe speed for boarding a moving train.

One night after a brief stay at the beautiful Wolford (not really) I was back at Tilton waiting for my train which I would be boarding on the fly. As it approached I thought the train was going too fast but in my youthful exuberance decided to board it anyway. Bad decision! As several thousand pounds of moving metal was bearing down on me I grabbed the handrail on the first loco and planted my foot in the corner of the first step as I had done many times before. I instantly knew the train was in fact going too fast. Due to the speed and the momentum of my body I was slammed against the side of the locomotive. For a second, I thought I was a gone for good but gained my composure, slowly pulled myself back around to the steps and climbed up to the cab on the locomotive. It seems the fireman was operating the train that night and the train speed was actually closer to 20 mph. It was a long time before I told my mother about this – several years in fact."

Pretty cool, huh?

**DVD update - I have been a champ - not even tempted even though Borders put all of their single disc DVDS 3 for 2...yes!

**Sugar update - Cats and yoga don't mix. The cobra pose just isn't the same when a cat is rubbing against your arms and purring.

Runaway

Okay then, I am jumping on the bandwagon of some of my fellow bloggers, and doing that whole iTunes shuffle song list thing. As follows:

Rules:
1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT


1. If someone says ‘Is this OK?’ you say?

"The Longest Time" Billy Joel

I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things

2. What would best describe your personality?

"Method Acting" Bright Eyes

We need some reception, a higher message, just tell us what to fear Because I don't know what tomorrow brings
It is alive with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising

3. What do you like in a guy?

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" Metallica

Um, at one time I liked a guy who was a big fan of Metallica, that counts, right?

4. How do you feel today?

"The End" The Doors

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land

Don't worry, I'm actually in a good mood today:)

5. What is your life’s purpose?

"Dancing Bear" The Mamas & The Papas

Not sure how I feel about this one

6. What is your motto?

"Milkshake" Kelis

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And their like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge

Hahahahaha...

7. What do your friends think of you?

"The Bar is a Beautiful Place" Ryan Adams

And I know my friends they worry about me
I can see it written on their face
But despite anything I might have said before
The bar is a beautiful place

Yeah, that totally doesn't apply to me, really

8. What do you think of your parents?

"Una macchia e qui tutt'ora" (Macbeth)

I guess I think my mom has blood she can't get off her hands? Wait, what?

9. What do you think about very often?

"Refuge (When it's Cold Outside)" John Legend

When it’s cold outside
There’s no need to worry cuz
I’m so warm inside

10. What is 2+2=

"Air (Flower Song)" (Carmen)

Uh, yeah, sure, why not?

11. What do you think of your best friend?

"By the Sea" (Sweeney Todd)

I can hear us wakin,
The breakers breakin,
The seagulls squawkin
“Hoo, hoo”
I do me bakin
Then I go walkin
With you-hoo

I'm good on the vacation stuff, thanks.

12. What do you think of the person you like?

"Son vergin vezzosa" (I puritani)

That's awesome.

13. What is your life story?

"The Wedding Chorale/Beggars at the Feast" (Les Miserables)

Hopefully, I'll be invited rather than a beggar.

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?

"(Them) Changes" Jimi Hendrix

Well my mind is
Goin' through
Them changes
I think I'm goin'out of my mind
Every time you
See me goin' somewhere
I think I could

15. What do you think when you see the person you like?

"What am I Gonna Do With You" Barry White

Stay right there, right there, don’t you move
You don’t know what I’m going through

16. What do your parents think of you?

"Beautiful Disaster" Kelly Clarkson

Obviously, they have a lot of confidence in me.

17. What will you dance to at your wedding?

"I'm Still Standing" Elton John

Once I never could hope to win
You starting down the road leaving me again
The threats you made were meant to cut me down
And if our love was just a circus you’d be a clown by now

This does not bode well for my future

18. What will they play at your funeral?

"In Public" Kelis featuring Nas

I am no way posting these lyrics on a public space, but at my funeral I'll bed dead, so really, this song will work just fine:)

19. What is your hobby/interest?

"Cookie Jar" Jack Johnson

Mmmmmm...cookie

20. What is your biggest secret?

"I Ain't in Checota Anymore" Carrie Underwood

Yep, I"m really from Oklahoma folks - I've been lying all this time.

21. What do you think of your friends?

"Pop Muzik" U2

If you wanna be a gun slinger
Don’t be a rock singer
Eenie meenie miney moe
Anyway you want to go

I try to support my friends in all of their decisions - including being a gun slinger

22. What should you post this as?

"Runaway" Real McCoy

Money, sex in full control, a generation without soul,
Perfect people in a perfect world, behind closed doors all in control,
Life, in a world of luxury, cold cash money mentality,
You gotta keep the faith, you gotta keep the faith,
You better keep the faith and run away